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The theme for this 2015’s 30 Pedals in 30 Days seems to be pedals that can do multiple cool things really, really well. We here at TheToneKing.com have expressed our giddiness for the ZVEX Double Rock before, and now the mad scientist of tonal manipulation is bringing a new version of the versatile drive pedal to market that is a little be easier on wallets throughout the guitar-based universe.

This writer is a big fan of the original, hand-painted Double Rock; it gets a lot of use both at home and during jam sessions with other musicians and it always sounds great. So I was especially excited to see ZVEX put out a Vexter series version of this excellent pedal, and I was especially more excited to find out that it’s be a featured pedal for 30 Pedals in 30 Days.

By the way, ZVEX’s Vexter series pedals are no different internally than the hand-painted ones the company is known for. The main difference is that the Vexter artwork is silk-screened, which aids in keeping costs down.

There is a ton going on within the Vexter Series Double Rock, but accessing all of the possibilities is quick and easy. Two stomp switches select one of two channels, which can be used independently or cascaded, and each channel can be configured to be a Box of Rock distortion (when the “Subs” switch is on 3), a Distortron distortion (when the “Subs” switch is on 1 or 2), or a Super Hard-On boost.

A little back-of-the-envelope calculation will immediately tell you that this set-up yields massive possibilities. The player essentially has a ZVEX Super Hard-On, a Super 2-in-1, a Box of Rock with a boost, a Super Hard-On going into a Box of Rock, or two highly versatile drives cascading into one another, all in an extremely compact footprint. The thing that this writer particularly appreciates is how easy to audition different configurations quickly and easily through the very efficient and intuitive control layout. Sometimes I want boost into OD, other times I want OD into massive distortion…whatever I need I can get the Double Rock setup there with minimal fuss, despite the wide range of options.

As TTK notes in his review, the ZVEX Double Rock is essentially the storied pedalmaker’s greatest hits boxed set. And now that’s in a Vexter format, it’s more accessible than ever. No matter how your playing or style changes, the Double Rock will grow right alongside with you.